Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, looked at Dumbledore in confusion. "What do you mean, Professor?" She covered her mouth, and went wide-eyed, "Is that my voice? Why do I sound like that?" she looked extremely worried. She at Lupin, "Moony?"

The werewolf was mostly stumped, and muttered something about boy turn girl. Harry bit her lip, likely out of worry, before reaching up run her hands through her short hair, or at least what had been short. She stopped and grabbed her hair, following it down to the tips. Dark, almost black, red hair sat in her grip. She tugged at it, noticing how it felt on her own head. "Is that my hair?" She stopped, her mind putting together the pieces, "I-I'm a girl?"

Dumbledore waited for her to pass out in shock, but oddly, Harry did nothing of the sort. Instead she sat there, musing quietly while everyne else recovered. It took a bit, but finally, LUpin was the first to talk while Dumbledore idly dug through a box of Bertie Botts Beans. "Harry... Are you okay?"

The Boy-Who-Turned-Girl-Who-Lived looked up her adoptive uncle. She looked mostly conflicted, but in truth she felt... Better. It was like someone had dulled Sirius's death at long last, and she wouldn't be moping about anymore. "I... I feel better, Moony," she muttered quietly. The look on her face betrayed the guilt she seemed to be feeling. Draco Malfoy resisted an urge to hug her, a rather foul urge if you asked him. She looked at Remus Lupin again, pure concern on her face, most of it guilt. Snape's foul expression was no where to be seen, he and Madam Pomfrey had gone into her office to discuss the potion's possible effects.

Lupin smiled, "Its alright cub. You can't help it if you feel better."

Dumbledore nodded sagely, and Hermione bit her lip before talking, "Harry... You've been moping about for too long, and I almost hate to say it, but this is a good thing, at least you feeling better is, the whole turning into a girl thing has me a bit stumped." She said while Ron looked constipated. The gangly young Weasley seemed rather off put by his best mate being turned into a girl.

McGonagall finally spoke up, "Mr-er, Miss Potter, it is definitely positive that you find yourself feeling better," she half-muttered as Draco finally slipped towards the doors, he didn't think Harry needed to see him here or know anything yet, and he'd be damned if he let them figure it out either. He was starting to exit when McGonagall finished and asked Harry something that broke Draco's heart. "Harry, while you were sleeping, Poppy noticed something... Why are you bruised?" She indicated Harry's back and the girl immediately froze.

She looked down at the blankets, "Uncle Vernon..." she muttered more, far too quiet for Draco to hear, at least until the reactions started. McGonagall looked compltely outraged, Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, Hermione burst into tears, and Ginny joined her. Meanwhile Ron had the most vocal reation of all, "He dID WHAT!?" Harry muttered it and this time Draco was close enough to hear.

The words coming from her mouth registered in Draco's mind and the level of rage he felt was nothing next to Nott, and in fact, Vernon Dursley was going to pay. He was going to end up paying in various ways that raced through Draco's mind, each bad enough to be classified as new forms of torture. Harry curled up a bit, looking at her feet, "Its my fault though..."

Ronald Weasley summoned up all his courage and, like he had with Ginny, embraced Harry in hug. Ginny nodded as she wiped her own tears away. She had been shocked and would never want to experience such a thing, and neither, she guessed would Hermione, but both of them were too shocked to properly comfort Harry. Ron was pulling from his big brother book, and Ginny had to admit, he was definitely using it for Harry. Whether or not Harry was a girl, he was still Ron's best friend, and that was someone Ron cared for like a brother, or sister at this point.

Harry jumped a bit when she was suddenly wrapped in Ron's arms, however, she felt the sorrow and love pouring from him. It took a few seconds as he held her before she burst into tears, but she did. "W-what did I do? W-Why do I deserve this?" she cried out, heart wrenching, full sobs. Everyone else stood there, if a bit awkwardly, as she sobbed into the ginger's arms.

Draco had wanted to do the same, but he could appreciate what Ron was doing. He didn't feel jealous, and why should he? Ronald Weasley was like a brother to Harry Potter, a bit rowdy and somewhat dopeish one, but a brother Harry had never had. In five eyars, they had grown a strong bond. She cried, and cried, and cried. The others waited in silence as she finally let loose with sixteen years of sadness, depression, and self-pity. All of it was a well-deserved cry.

Harry's sobs shuddered to a slow stop, and she wiped her eyes. She felt numerous times better, if not a bit mebarrased by Ron's dampened shirt. She looked at everyone nervously as Dumbledore soundlessly dried Ron's shirt. Harry lowered her head again, only for a hand to rest on it and start petting her head, this time it was Lupin and he idly scratched her head a bit as he pet her. Harry normally wouldn't have accepted this, however, his hand started to relax her and her eyes wavered, half-lidded.

Dumbledore looked rather amused and nodded, "Perhaps not today."

-The Riddle Home-

Voldemort was furious, as he should rightfully be! Nott's spawn had failed to bring Harry Potter to him after adminstering the potion, though the fact that Harry ahd ingested it was almost enough. The potion had been intended to loosen Potter's hold on his own magic and allow the Dark Lord to leech off of it and make his foe weaker. However, when he aimed to reach Potter through their connection, nothing had happened, absolutely nothing. This infuriated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named beyond much else, as a result he had killed off two minor Death Eaters and a group of Muggles.

Lucius had confirmed another worse fear of the Dark Lord's. Malfoy had gone to the other side, it seemed. The blonde had quite viciously blasted Nott back without caring at all for his life. Voldemort could see a bit of himself in the boy, however, he could also see too much of the blood traitors. The boy lacked ruthlessness, beyond a doubt. If he could mold him, he would make an excellent right hand...

Voldemort mused about this before shaking his head and speaking up to the man waiting at the doorway, "Your son is a traitor, you see this yes, Lucius?" The man nodded in response, "By saving Potter, rather Pottete now I should say, he has proven himself no better than the blood traiors and mudbloods, if not worse. At first chance you are to kill him, but leave no stain upon yourself, we can't lose our greatest footing in the Ministry."

Lucius Malfoy nooded, before turning his back and walking down towards the yards, unkempt as usual. After reaching a certain point, he disapparated with a pop and reappeared outside his own manor. Unbeknownst to the Dark Lord, Lucius had also turned traitor, partly for selfish reasons, partly out of self-hate. Severus was his link to the light and the blonde man called up him rather quickly.

The ring on his finger glowed slightly as Lucius sent the typical summons. The rings were used much like Hermione's DA Galleons, and just as ingenious. Dumbledore had placed the enchantment to allow only Lucius and Snape to send messages, and for it to work both ways. When Snape, in Pomfrey's office, recieved the summons he quickly apologized and left through the floo, appearing in Lucius's study.

"What is it, Lucius?" Severus asked as he stood, looking at the man before him, Death Eater robes still on his shoulders.

"The Dark Lord wants me to kill Draco," he said, almost quietly.

"And will you?" Severus asked.

"No, he is my son, but he must remain safe at Hogwarts," Lucius said, looking at the various photos across the room, "Narcissa and I cannot visit him, so I must ask you watch over him."

"Of course."